Vappu

We partook in an actual Finnish activity last weekend and it was quite interesting. It's called Vappu, which is the May 1st celebration of the unofficial beginning of spring. On the Eve of May 1st, tens of thousands of people gather in the Market Square of Helsinki and bring their white graduation caps. At 6pm, a statue in Market Square is capped, which marks the beginning of spring. Champagne is opened and the celebration begins!

We decided to go to Market Square and squeeze through the 50,000 people to stand very near to the statue and partake in the activities. There were beer bottles and champagne bottles galore, with hundreds of balloons and costumes. It was definitely a sight to see. And then at 6pm, the entire crowd was wearing their white cap that they obtained when they graduated high school. The old peoples' hats were basically yellow and brown, it was quite funny.

The Market Square is also where the Christmas markets will be so I'm looking forward to going back. Two strangers gave Maddy helium balloons, of which she was very excited. It is still hanging in her room.

May 1st is usually a day of picnicking and eating and drinking outdoors in the parks of Helsinki, but it was very rainy and we stayed at the house. But on May 2nd we went to Jussi's parents' cottage and spent the day with Jussi and Anita and Elsa. It was very nice.

Next big event is Midsummer's Day.

A New Addition

Andrew and I are thrilled to announce that we are expecting another baby!!! Due October 18th. I guess I won't be partaking in the Vappu drinking this weekend, but that is okay. Andrew will drink my share.

And then there was 3...

So my parents left yesterday, and it was sad. I know I'm a grown woman but sometimes having your parents around makes life so much easier. Especially when your child adores your dad and he practically takes care of her the entire week :)

I had a wonderful time having them around, and I hope they feel the same way. Maddy got tons of attention, lots of walks, lots of trips to the ice cream store, a trip to the zoo, and just quality time with my parents. My parents also did a ton of work around the house and yard. Prior tenants didn't give a darn about the shape of the yard, so according to the neighbours, our yard hadn't been touched in at least 4 years (and it showed). Farmers don't know how to sit around and take it easy, so my dad was outside raking and clearing brush and installing blinds and putting up a clothes line, etc. My mom was out there too a bunch, stacking firewood and raking, and now the place looks great. We would never have done that much work to it.

I think my dad has fallen in love with Finland, or at least the biking paths. Comments that they made about Finland:
- there are rarely fat people
- everybody is outside all the time
- the biking trails are great
- go any direction for ten minutes and you find yourself in country solitude
- and saunas rock!

They did beat their record, they got up to 93!!!!

Miss you already, had a great time. But it's nice for Andrew and I to continue working on settling down into our new home and exploring more of what Finland has to offer. Starting with May Day weekend (known as Vappu), the biggest drinking weekend of the entire year. Festivities in Helsinki for the whole weekend, looking forward to what we can find.

Stay tuned...
Kim

The record has been broken!

They got up to 92 degrees Celsius in the sauna last night. Apparently my dad twitched in his sleep last night, I'm not sure if those are side effects of boiling your body. They will be here for two more nights, I don't know whether they plan on increasing their record or not.

I think they would be proud of themselves, except that Andrew told them that our friend Jussi once sat in a sauna for a few minutes that was 130 degrees Celsius - so they aren't as proud of themselves as they should be. My family is way too competitive for this country...

One Month in Reflection

It's hard to believe it, but we've been here a month! Feels like we just got here, but I have to admit that we've accomplished a lot since we've been here. We've unpacked our house, we've bought cell phones, we've already become dependent on a GPS, we've been to the Helsinki Zoo, we've had Canadian visitors, we've become permanent residents of Finland, and the list goes on.

Obviously the highlight of the past month has been having my parents come. I hope they agree with me, but I am having a blast having them here! I took my mom to the grocery store today, and it was fun to share with her the neat things we could find and also the overpriced items. My dad has had fun cycling (once so far but big plans for the next few days) - Finland has more cycling paths than roads, it's a country built for bicycles! We may have actually convinced him to come back this summer, but we'll have to see. We went to the Helsinki Zoo today, Maddy's first trip to a zoo. Not as big as Toronto, obviously, but a wonderful time was had by all. She is now asking for "more animals" so we may have to get an annual pass.

I have to admit that I was extremely scared to move to Finland. I can say that now that we have our stuff, it's been easier than I imagined. Mostly due to Facebook and Skype and a visit from my family. My friends have been awesome sending me regular emails so I still feel in the loop and not so much like I vanished off the face of the earth.

My parents have enjoyed the Finnish way of life - Andrew has introduced them to the sauna and they have been attempting to beat the latest record of how hot they can make the sauna. Thank goodness we have an indoor pool outside the sauna that is freezing cold, they make frequent dips into the pool to prevent them from passing out. Today they got to 87 degrees Celsius - not sure if they are going to stop at that or not. My dad has been sitting outside for a while "recovering" so maybe they've hit their max!!!

Looking forward to what the second month in Finland has in store for us.
Kim

Fingers Crossed!

Well, as of right now, my parents are able to fly to Amsterdam no problem. Helsinki just opened their airport today but I don't have confirmation on whether their Amsterdam to Helsinki flight has been cancelled or not.

Cleaning my house and getting some groceries just in case they make it. I've refrained from talking about their visit to Maddy just in case they don't come - I don't want to get her hopes up. But I'm hoping I get an email from Mom today that all is well and they will leave this afternoon for their adventure.

Fingers crossed...

Keeping our Fingers Crossed...

Well, my parents are scheduled to be here on Thursday and I desperately want to see them! The only thing standing in my way is that darn Iceland volcano. Apparently the ash has made it's way to Helsinki, although I live 12 minutes away from Helsinki and I don't see a damn thing. KLM has done some test flights and all seemed okay, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that flights will be up and running and they get here safely on Thursday. key word: SAFELY!

I managed to find baking soda and baking powder at the grocery store, so Maddy and I baked chocolate chip cookies today. It's a nice way to be reminded of our home in London.

We've also gotten everything set up with Skype and have had several conversations with family members. We have chatted with Mom, Joe Kim and Kyra, and Rose. Very nice to see everybody's face and have a "face to face" conversation. I'm hoping that Webcams are still relatively priced and the remaining family members get their butts in gear!

Maddy was up at 5:30 this morning so I'm heading for a nap. Hoping to hear good news about the flights....

Kim